GOP weighs costs of losing ugly

The Democrats’ ungainly march toward a victory on health care reform Sunday night provoked a graceless response from angry House Republicans, who shouted insults across the chamber, encouraged outbursts from the galleries, brandished “Kill the bill” placards from the Speaker’s Balcony and, apparently, left veiled threats of electoral retribution on the benches of undecided Democrats.

“My impression is that Rep. Boehner was satisfied with the tone of the debate, which focused on the serious factual arguments against the Democrats’ job-killing government takeover bill,” said Boehner spokesman Michael Steel.

Other Republicans weren’t so sure.

“It was like a mob at times,” lamented one House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “It wasn’t good for us. ... Remember, it took years [for Democrats] to recover from the bad publicity the anti-Vietnam protests generated.”

In an interview for POLITICO's “Health Care Diagnosis” video series, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called the “baby killer” outburst “horrible” but said the issues Democrats are pursuing are “so polarizing that they’re really bringing out emotions and the darker sides of people on both sides.”

Still, Ryan made it clear he would have preferred a less emotional approach over the weekend.

“In our conference [Sunday] before the vote, a lot of us said, 'Look — no screaming, no shouting, no yelling, no nyah-nyah-nyah. If they pass this thing, be somber be glum,'” Ryan said. “I said look, 'We’ve got to be adults about this. This is a serious situation; this isn’t something that we politicize. . . . Yes, in basketball games you hear things like this. We don’t do that. We’re grown-ups.'”

Neugebauer’s outburst, which echoed the infamous “You lie!” shout by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), had Republicans worried about the impact on “persuadables” — independents skeptical about President Barack Obama but leery of the GOP’s increasingly conservative tilt.

The incident also undermined attempts by Republicans to project the image of a sober, less combative party willing to meet Obama halfway. And it prompted a salvo of rebuke from Democrats, who spent much of their post-passage Monday accusing the other party of violating the chamber’s decorum and coarsening debate.

Stupak accepted Neugebauer’s apology — the fiery Texan claimed he was caught up “in the heat and emotion of the debate” — but only barely.

“I feel it is important for members to maintain [the] decorum of the House,” said Stupak, who found himself defended by abortion-rights-supporting Democrats with whom he had clashed during the tense final hours of haggling over the bill.